Java upates frequently

Q. Why am I continually getting requests to update “Java”? I am concerned at the amount of times it has to be updated and concerned about an outside source trying to gain access to my PC.

A. Java is the programming language developed by Sun Microsystems that is used to create much of the interactive Web applications you see, especially games and interactive online forms and so forth.

To be able to use these, you have to have the Java “runtime environment” installed on your computer. For those who don’t have this on their computers already, it is easily installed by going to www.java.com.

When you install Java it also installs the Java Updater which checks to see if there are any updates to the software and alerts you when there are so you can then install them.

Since this software is constantly being updated, the notifications can seem to come in quite often. This is nothing to be concerned about. You can install these updates as they come in without risking your computer or your privacy. I strongly recommend keeping this software up to date as it is possible the update addresses some bug or flaw in the software that will be corrected when the patch is applied.

If you want to take some control over how the Java Updater manages updates you can configure it by double-clicking the Java icon in the Control Panel and then clicking on the Update tab in the window that appears.

Here you can turn off updates altogether (not recommended) or you can change when and how often Java Updater checks using the options you see when you click on Advanced.